Final Thriller Clip

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXUtgevqgSs

AS Evaluation - Question 1

The generic conventions for the thriller films are a significant factor in the film making industry, especially thrillers as it conveys the precise elements which fall into the genre. Most of the conventions are divided into sections of 3. The first subdivisions are technical conventions features of this are cinematography, camera shots and movements. The second conventions which are relevant to filming are symbolic conventions which consist of iconography, clothing, and colours lighting and mise-en-scene. Lastly audio and written conventions encompass sound for example soundtrack or diegetic sound, also written conventions such as narrative and scripted work. General symbolic conventions of thrillers often follow eerie music, vulnerable victims, knife, blood, heroic characters and villains. Basic technical conventions of thrillers are low angle shots; dissolve editing and high angle shots to portray scenery and setting. Low key lighting is an essential part of thrillers creating an atmosphere with suspense. The duration of my thriller involved many conventions of which we planned during the narrative. The first convention used was a suburban neighbour as this had the element of the equilibrium from which we derived in Todorovo’s theory. Low key lighting was a reoccurring theme for example when Chelsea (played by Leandra) was situated in her bedroom the low key lighting emphasised the silence, stillness and suspense occurring which gradually increased leading to the main scene.  Conventional aspects within our thriller include a vulnerable female victim who is the main agenda of a villainess stalker.  My opening sequence defines the thriller genre by the basic elements such as low-key lighting used throughout the beginning, edgy transitions and filters to include tension. The soundtrack produced suspense which was anticipated when the main event occurred and the audience were in thrill of what was to come. The stereotypical characters are conventional of thrillers for example the adolescent young girl and concealed villain.

6 conventions i have used to make my media product


iconography - shrine

mise en scene - low key lighting

insidious characters

vulnerable naive girl

suburban neighbourhood

mystery story line

AS Evaluation Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

AS Evaluation Question 4

Who would be the audience of your media product?

AS Evaluation Question 7

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

The preliminary task was an advantageous activity that gave insight into how to using the equipment and the technicality of the camera and tripod. What I learned from the preliminary task was how to use the camera to create different shots and panning effects. The skills I gained were a wider understanding of how to use the equipment as well as an experience on screen. It helped me with my thriller as we had some previous experience with filming and safety procedures on set. Also looking back at the preliminary task it allowed us to review our flaws and things i could improve upon following up the creation of our thriller. The preliminary task was very insightful as it encouraged me to familiarise my self with the certain tools used within media. Using the camera extended my knowledge on the specific ways that directors use to make a good film. 

The equipment I used within the preliminary task was a tripod and camera. Also it was the first time using Final Cut Pro x which was very beneficial as it allowed me to get into the equipment straight away and start using tools such as the cutting tool, importing and exporting through YouTube. Which was an extensive process, however it prepared for the upload of my rough cut and thriller clip. Watching our clip enabled us to see where in particular we went wrong within the filming aspects, which gave us a chance to tweak it within the editing process. 

AS Evaluation Question 6

AS Evaluation Question 3

AS Evaluation Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My media group presents social groups in many different ways. The characters of my film are somewhat conventional with element s of uniqueness portraying several ideals that audiences can connect to and relate to. A reflection of identity through the way the audience perceives the characters. For example I chose to have an innocent young victim girl to engage the younger audience and also parents. I choose Leandra as her innocence’s spurred an empathy within the audience.  The villain was chosen by James, our plan was to present him in a mysterious insidious way not revealing his identity leaving the audience in suspense that’s why we choose to convey and enigmatic character. Gender particularly with Chelsea the victim is represented in a stereotypical way as she is a vulnerable woman who is not capable of being cautious towards her abduction. Also the main villain is the dominate man who takes the acquitted young teenager. These characters appeal to the audience as there is more to them than meets the eye. Audiences share similar connection with characters who are troubled by paranoia. For audiences around the ages of 18 can relate as they have been in similar situation when walking home from school or being home alone. This is an issue founded in most communities. My thriller clip gives the female audience a feeling of tension and suspense due to the vulnerability of the young character which is a typical pigeon hole for most young women, which represents innocence and expressive towards certain situations. Our character appeals to the audience as many young women are targeted and therefore its a common case, which will release a series of emotions and familiarities as they can relate due to the young age of the the innocent girl. 

For example within the first image we see a young teenage girl reading in her bedroom only to be disturbed by a worrying message. The audience can relate as it is always the stereotypical innocent girl who is taken within films. The low key lighting within this scene added a sense of mystery and  suspense building up to the following scene. Her timid and sweet approach presents a sense of empathy and sympathy towards this girl and why in particular she happened to be a victim of a kidnapping. Therefore, many teenage girls and parents can relate to her, as we sense a moral obligation to protect girls like her and we feel disheartened at the fact she is left so vulnerable. 

This scene was essential to create a relation between the audience as social networking and technology is a big part of teenagers lives. Not many people take precaution in their personal information such as numbers. The parental audience can relate to this particular scene as not many people know the caution of technology, who's watching you and where. This will also appeal to teenagers as it can happen to most of the public whether its reality or just a form of trickery played on us by friends. 

Audience Feedback

Audience Feedback

Audience feedback is a significant process within improving a project. It is essential for groups to look back on the positive and constructive comments made on your product. As well as looking at certain ways in which you can improve your work just by taking in the audiences opinion. In order for my thriller to get a better results i must improve upon the constructive comments. 

Positive Comments: 
Comment 1: This  thriller was interesting and easy to relate to as many people especially those who have children or teenage girls and may have gone through the same problems as this young girl in the video. 

Comment 2: The thriller was highly realistic and the story flowed really well with no breaks in between. It was enjoyable to watch and kept me on edge of my seat. 

Comment 3: This interested and kept me on the edge of my seat seeing how close the villain was to the victim but keeping his distance being patient before making his move. 

These positive comments helped us to see that we are doing something right and that we know that we are attracting the right people to watch our thriller and that they enjoy the film. 

Constructive Comments:
Comment 1: The only issue I found was that it is quite hard to see some of the scenes because it was so dark, therefore some of the scenes should be brightened up slightly. 

Comment 2: The writing for the credits seem to be too playful and not scary enough therefore they should be changed and the writing should be in time with the scenes as they seem to be quite jumbled. 

Comment 3: The thriller is good but the scenes need to be slightly brighter but not too much as you do not want to mix the times of day up.

What we derive from these comments was what points we must improve on. The improvements we made were of the following, changing the credits within the thriller to make it look more edgy, we brightened up certain scenes so that the audience could see the clip in a better light, lastly we made some adjustments to the edits and the speed of the clip within final cut pro. 

Rough Cut

Rough Cut

There are several stages to editing and the most essential part in my perspective is getting a second opinion on your clip. Rough cuts are essential as they ensure the directors and team members a brief idea of what the clip is going to be based on including whether or not they followed the plan, also canceling out the finalities such as adding in sync credits or titles. Rough cuts enable the audience or team members to shed perspective on the improvements that should be made as well as what went well within the editing process. Also what the group may have missed out within the thriller genre. Audience feedback is very significant as it allows the editors to see what most captures the audiences attention within the clip and how we can use that to create a very emotive scene or clip. 

The following task we performed in class  advanced our understanding in what we need to develop and make improvements on. The task was to present what you included within your thriller rough cut and how it was particularly conventional to the thriller genre. Also we had to show our rough cut and see how our group and audience members responded by filling out a sheet of negative and positive comments, as well as what we must enhance within the rough cut. Assessing our own project allowed me to see what i need to change in order for it to be more engaging or scary. Many members of the audience gave us positive feedback with average marks of 25-30. The negative comments were mainly focused on the editing and how we should include blood or a more grotesque font to make the clip look edgy. Taking in all these comments my group and i plan to use all the feedback given by adding in the elements mentioned but also keeping some frames within the thriller clip the same. Getting different perspectives on our clip benefited my idea of what fuels the audiences fear, also looking out a wide range of thriller clips enabled me to extract certain ideas from other clips that i could also use. The relevance of improving your rough cut is admissible as it prepares you for your final cut which has to be a better version of your previous edit.